1. Field of Invention
The present invention is directed to a mount for a semiconductor light emitting device such as a light emitting diode.
2. Description of Related Art
Semiconductor light emitting devices such as light emitting diodes (LEDs) are among the most efficient light sources currently available. Material systems currently of interest in the manufacture of high brightness LEDs capable of operation across the visible spectrum include group III-V semiconductors, particularly binary, ternary, and quaternary alloys of gallium, aluminum, indium, and nitrogen, also referred to as III-nitride materials; and binary, ternary, and quaternary alloys of gallium, aluminum, indium, arsenic, and phosphorus. Often III-nitride devices are epitaxially grown on sapphire, silicon carbide, or III-nitride substrates and III-phosphide devices are epitaxially grown on gallium arsenide by metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD), molecular beam epitaxy (MBE), or other epitaxial techniques. Often, an n-type region is deposited on the substrate, then an active region is deposited on the n-type region, then a p-type region is deposited on the active region. The order of the layers may be reversed such that the p-type region is adjacent to the substrate.
Such devices are often mounted on mounts which provide electrical and mechanical connection between the semiconductor device and the larger system in which the device is included. Such mounts are often silicon. Since the mount is the primary thermal path for heat removal from the semiconductor device, the mount may be designed for high thermal conductivity. As semiconductor light emitting devices are operated at higher power, silicon mounts become increasingly incapable of efficiently dissipating the heat generated in the device. Needed in the art are mounts which provide low thermal resistance in addition to being inexpensive, easy to handle, and easy to manufacture.